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Institutional Review Board

The Champlain College Institutional Review Board (IRB) will protect the safety, health, dignity and privacy of human subjects participating in research conducted by Champlain faculty, staff and students. The IRB will provide a structured review, aligning the college with the norms of acceptable practices and the requirements for research involving human subjects (as defined herein, see Definitions) established by the federal government (see 45 CFR 46 and 21 CFR 56) which conform to ethical standards for a particular research activity or method.

Anyone formally affiliated with Champlain College who engages in research involving human subjects, either on or off campus, must apply for IRB approval. Researchers not affiliated with Champlain College but who want to conduct research with human subjects under the auspices of Champlain College must apply for IRB approval. Anyone using unpublished institutional data from human subjects collected at Champlain College for research purposes, as defined herein, must have IRB approval.

The IRB now has a standard calendar, with one review meeting scheduled in each semester. The review dates are Monday 27 October 2014 and Monday 23 March 2015.

Submissions to the IRB for review should be made with an appropriate amount of time to allow review BEFORE these dates. A protocol that is expected to require expedited review should be submitted at least three weeks before the next review date, while a protocol expected to require full review should be submitted at least eight weeks before the next review date.

Note that the final decision of the level of review rests with the IRB chair.

All research proposals involving human subjects must be submitted for IRB review. The IRB Chair will determine the level of review necessary for a project. Proposals will fall into one of three categories, as determined by the IRB Chair: Full Review, Expedited Review or Exempt.

Level 1 (Exempt):

Research involving human subjects that poses very little or no foreseeable risk to the health or welfare of the research subjects is generally exempt from an expedited or full-board review. Proposals will be deemed exempt by the Board Chair, with a report made to the full Board.

Level 2 (Expedited Review):

Research involving human subjects that poses minimal foreseeable risk to the health or welfare of the research subjects can be expedited by the IRB Chair. Projects eligible for expedited review will be voted on by three Board members chosen by the IRB Chair.

Level 3 (Full Review):

Research involving human subjects that poses more than minimal foreseeable risk, is funded by federal grants, involves deception, or involves subjects from a group awarded special protections requires a full-board review.